The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for wet processing textile material in rope form, and particularly to the handling of the textile material in a manner which effectively "opens" the textile material just prior to its being introduced in the bath of processing liquid and which provides a positive and effective means for uniformly piling or plaiting the textile material in the storage compartment that transiently retains the cloth as it proceeds through such bath.
In typical wet processing equipment such as jet machines, a bath of processing liquid, such as dye liquor, is provided, and a jet nozzle is utilized to continuously move the endless rope of textile material through the bath where the rope is transiently stored in a rope storage compartment extending generally through the bath. Frequently, a cloth tube is provided above the bath for receiving the cloth as it is discharged from the jet nozzle and for transporting the cloth and the liquid discharged from the jet to a location above the inlet end of the rope storage compartment where the cloth is directed into the chamber for transient storage as noted above. As the cloth leaves the cloth tube and is delivered into the storage compartment, the cloth entering the storage compartment falls onto the accumulated cloth therein and generally tends to assume a pyramidal form that alternately builds and recedes as the cloth falls to one side or another, thereby causing the cloth to ultimately be arranged in storage compartment in generally plaited condition as the cloth tends to fill the storage compartment. However, because of the generally random and unpredictable nature of folds which occur in the cloth, the plaited accumulation thereof is haphazard and non-uniform, and this results in an uneven distribution of the cloth within the storage compartment as well as a tendency to promote undesirable tangling of the cloth as it is moved through the storage compartment. Under these conditions, the available volume of the storage compartment is not utilized to maximum advantage because of the non-uniform piling of the cloth therein, and an uneven weight distribution is imposed on the cloth within the storage chamber which will have an adverse effect on a wide variety of fabrics, particularly textile woven fabrics made from modified cross-section yarns which are susceptible to excessive and undesirable crush marks when exposed to such uneven weight distribution.
In an effort to alleviate the disadvantages associated with non-uniform piling of the fabric in the storage chamber, several commercial jet machines have recently incorporated relatively complex mechanical arrangements for positively guiding the fabric in an oscillating path as it leaves the cloth tube and is directed into the storage chamber. Such mechanical arrangements have, in one case, included a freely suspended mouth at the discharge end of the cloth tube which is mechanically oscillated or swivelled to guide the cloth in a uniform path as it is fed into the storage compartment. In another case, the cloth tube itself is mechanically oscillated to guide the cloth as it leaves the discharge end of the cloth tube.
While the aforesaid mechanical arrangements have improved the uniformity of the piling of the cloth, they have the disadvantages of being somewhat complicated in construction and operation because of the moving parts which must be associated with them, and, perhaps more importantly, such moving parts must be located to a large extent within the confines of the treating vessel so that any malfunction, repair or maintenance of these parts will normally necessitate taking the equipment out of service at least temporarily, and the time and labor required to effectuate repairs and maintenance are increased because of the inaccessibility of the moving parts within the confines of a closed vessel.
Additionally, some difficulties have been encountered in connection with the aforesaid cloth tubes of conventional jet machines. Since a cloth tube is intended to transport the cloth and the liquid issuing from the jet nozzle to a position adjacent the inlet end of the cloth storage compartment, the cloth tube must provide a confined path of movement so that the liquid will have sufficient velocity and force to carry the cloth along with it as it moves through the cloth tube and delivering the cloth to the cloth storage chamber. However, this confined path of movement tends to cause the cloth to bunch up or contract as it flows through the cloth tube, and, as a result, the cloth may not open or expand to the desired extent when it leaves the outlet of the cloth tube for open accumulation in the storage compartment. Additionally, the velocity and force of the liquid, as it leaves the cloth tube with the cloth being carried thereby, may have an adverse effect on the cloth and the uniformity with which it is piled in the cloth storage compartment. Thus, the liquid exiting from the end of the cloth impinges upon the cloth being carried with it as well as upon the cloth which has already accumulated at the inlet end of the storage compartment, and the high velocity of the liquid impinging upon the cloth can result in undesirable surface defects in the cloth. Also, this high velocity liquid will, in some instances, strike the cloth in the storage compartment with sufficient force to bury or fold under the portions of the cloth material, thereby tending to create undesirable tangles in the cloth material as it is transported through the storage compartment.
By contrast, the present invention provides a unique arrangement for uniformly piling or plaiting the cloth as it leaves the cloth tube while avoiding the above-described drawbacks associated with known mechanical plaiting apparatus, and provides a unique cloth tube which assists in opening the cloth as it leaves the confines of the cloth tube while also significantly reducing the velocity of the accompanying liquid and the impinging force of said liquid on the cloth.